St. Anthony Summit Medical Center Emergency Department nurse Ruth Nash spent part of her Thursday afternoon talking to Frisco Elementary School fifth-graders about the how the hospital and its caregiver take care of the sick and injured. It wasn’t all serious - there were plenty of opportunities for laughs, too. The school’s fifth-graders are learning about the human body and made handmade Valentine’s Day cards for St. Anthony Summit staff and patients.Brent Boyer / Photo courtesy of St. Anthony Summit Medical Center

Love is in the mountain air. It’s Valentine’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than to spread love all over town? Frisco Elementary students decided to spend part of their day doing just that, going out and showering their community with love and kindness, especially toward those in Summit County who may be alone and far from affection.

Every class, from kindergarten to fifth grade, agreed to forgo their traditional in-class Valentine’s Day parties and came up with their own project to bring love to their community. Each class went out into town on mini field trips, braving the slush and cold to deliver joy to all two- and four-legged Frisco residents they met.

The kindergarteners decided to show their love for Frisco by marching down to the intersection of Main Street and Summit Boulevard, climbing up snow banks higher than their heads and waving heart-shaped signs at traffic, encouraging motorists to “Honk for Love.”

“As a school we were just trying to spread love and kindness in the community,” said kindergarten teacher Jenny Wischmeyer. “I thought about all the attention that people with political signs get, and thought it would be really great and easy for kindergartners to spread some love. I thought this would be an easy way to get people to smile today.”

The first-graders spent the morning making cards for firefighters at the fire station just down the street from Frisco Elementary before walking down to deliver the cards and treats, including cookies and chocolate-covered pretzels.

Their teacher, Allison Ryan, said the class also talked about how much their community gave to them and why Valentine’s Day was special.

“We were having a conversation about what Valentine’s Day truly meant to us,” Ryan said. “We decided Valentine’s Day is all about showing kindness and compassion, and showing your love for other people.”

Ryan said the elementary students, guided by teachers, decided that going out into the community and personally showing their appreciation would be a great gesture. Ryan’s first-graders chose the fire station down the street as their love beneficiaries.

“They do safety events with us, and they help us with our fire drills, so we thought it’d be a nice way to brighten up their day,” Ryan said.

The older kids, the fifth-graders, also made cards and visited St. Anthony Summit Medical Center to give patients who were unable to spend time with loved ones some company and compassion. Third- and fourth-graders went out to Walter Byron Park and other places around town, setting up stations and giving out coffee to passersby.

But humans weren’t the only ones to receive love and kindness today. The second-grade class, led by teacher Heidi Sodetz, visited Summit County’s animal shelter to drop off cat and dog treats. Sodetz said that the students made the dog treats themselves, looking up a recipe and mixing up batter with the right ingredients, then cutting them up into shapes like paws, bones and hearts and baking them.

“We wanted to spread kindness in our community rather than thinking about ourselves,” Sodetz said. “We chose the animal shelter because they come to our class to do a 10-week humane education program, to teach kids about proper care of animals, and we appreciate them tremendously.”

As with many things in life, Frisco Elementary showed on Valentine’s Day how much wisdom kids can impart on adults, especially when it comes to love.

Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil. If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.